Infusion therapy generally involves the administration of a medication intravenously. When performing a typical infusion therapy, one or more infusion therapy device (e.g. tubing sets, catheters, etc.) are commonly used. In some instances, an infusion therapy device may include a stopcock medical connector to permit selective administration of a fluid through the infusion therapy device. The stopcock medical connector comprises a housing in which is rotatably seated a tap. The tap includes a fluid pathway that may be aligned (i.e., the open position) or misaligned (i.e., the closed position) within the housing to permit or prevent a fluid from passing through the housing. Thus, when administration of fluid is desired, the tap is rotated from the closed position to the open position to permit fluid to pass through the housing and into the patient via the infusion therapy device. Conversely, the tap is rotated to the closed position when it is desired to cease the administration of a fluid.
When in the closed position, fluid trapped within the fluid pathway of the stopcock medical connector remains stagnant and isolated from the remaining fluid within the infusion therapy device. Fluid within the infusion therapy device is also stagnant when in the closed position. These stagnant conditions are ideal for growth and colonization of microbes, which may lead to subsequent microbial infection when the medical connector is opened and the fluid is infused into the patient.
Thus, while methods and systems currently exist for selectively administering fluid to a patient via the use of a stopcock medical connector, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or replace current techniques with the systems and methods discussed herein.